Friday, February 4, 2011

Art and Such

Well, didn't get around to the post I thought I might write tonight, but I've been wanting to show these photos of the girls' artsy craftsy work. It's been a long time since I've taken pictures of their projects, so here we go. Oh, and it was a good day today - the best of both worlds: special breakfast (2 batches of cinnamon pancakes, 2 batches of chocolate ones) several hours of snow play, then working hard on school for the rest of the day. Thank You, Lord!

EG saw this project in Disney's Family Fun magazine and started right in on it. I have to say I am impressed with the craft ideas and recipes in the magazine - very creative and doable, even for a person like me with NO crafting dna. EG's first go around with this revolving calendar was frustrating to her and didn't turn out like she wanted. But goodness, she did it with no help whatsoever! Her daddy looked it over, and promised to help her with a redo, using stronger paper and a good solid cardboard backing. Don't you love her watercolor solar system? BB made little feet for the stand, so it can, well, stand!

MK with her sheaf of drawings. She did these in a couple of nights in her bed. Number 2 daughter is my night owl, staying awake pretty late most nights reading, listening to audio books or the Bible, or drawing.

Her drawings make me happy. So much personality! Most of these she drew using Draw, Write, Now! as a guide. But the names she chose for all the creatures...oh my goodness she had me laughing, smiling...Clark? Where did that come from?

Eek. He's not a sweet one. But he is named after BB's youngest brother, so that makes him okay, I suppose...

I liked Sunny. I think she needs to be colored in and framed, just about...I can imagine her stepping those long legs through a swamp, picking around for grasses and tiny fish...

Meet Peporoni the electric eel. I'm thinking this one was drawn/named later at night than the others, given the extra-silly name! Y'all, she drew probably 100 animals! I photographed about 35 of them.

LC got into the watercolors while EG was doing the solar system calendar project. I loved her little rocket. Didn't realize till too late that in the above photo, she's got her painting upside down.

And we wouldn't want to leave CA out. I wish I'd gotten her photo with her picture. See the big, pink blobby part of the picture? That's her own hand-tracing.

And, in my ongoing attempt to gut, purge, dejunk, clean, reorganize my house (oh it is a very gradual, slow process, but every little bit helps, eh?), here is a picture of my pantry. BB added the two top shelves. I completely rearranged my kitchen cabinets, moving all the platters and fancier serving things into the pantry so that I can see them, but they're not taking up kitchen cabinet space.

I wanted to space out and keep visible my most frequently used appliances and I put the vases where I can see them when the time come to use one. The food is actually kind of organized, too, and while it won't stay that way, it is nice to know that "everything has its place" and I can put it all back when it gets messy.

My cookbooks used to be behind closed doors in a kitchen cabinet, but ahhhhh, now they are visible and uncrowded in the pantry! And isn't this little vintage book so fun? I never use it, but I keep it for the day when I'm working with the girls on baking and cooking projects more...I love to read and try the older methods.

And look! The kitchen sink CAN look great! Smile. Oh and those baby hyacinth sprouts are 5 inches tall already!

Counting mercies....

686 her mouth a big, sweet O, waiting for bananas on a spoon

687 the way her hair's becoming fluffy...nearly invisible blonde, yes, but fluffy all the same

688 extra time to work with MK on math - conversions of measurements

689 working with EG on fractions - her nemesis right now: common denominators, lowest common denominator, reducing fractions

Tiny Bio

I'm Beth. Today I'm 41. Jesus loves me, this I know. I love running and coffee and flowers and quiet space. BB is my best friend & husband these 18 years. We're still in awe over how many kids we have - 8 unique, full of life people we call ours. We're all still trying to figure out large family life together. It's messy. Really messy. And it's beautiful and rich, draining and maddening, and I'm in this space to think out loud about it all.

AH - 18EG - 17MK - 15LC - 13CA - 10CJ - 7

BH - 5

MES - 3

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14